Moon and Sun: Escape from the Pack
by Umbreon Mastah
Summary: Semibased on the Lucario movie's plot. An Umbreon and a trainer named Kiki team up with a Lucario from the past to stop the Pack from destroying the Tree of Beginning. With the help of Mew, can they? My first fic! UmbreonxLucario. Rated T for safety.
1. The Beginning of the Beginning

Just a few notices:

1. This is my first fanfic, inspired by the _Lucario and the Mystery of Mew _movie, but with a semi-different plotline. The major pairing is UmbreonxLucario. Here's to hoping that it's good!

2. Please R&R. I will take both compliments and constructive criticism. Thanks in advance.

Enjoy the fanfic!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I own the trainers Kiki, John, and Rose.**

* * *

Lucario sat atop the largest boulder in the valley, overlooking what lay before him. Skitty played with each other, Jigglypuff practiced singing, a few Eevee ate berries; all was peaceful. Lucario sighed and closed his eyes. He could see better that way anyway. The blue forms of the Pokémon wavered back and forth. The fighting Pokémon smiled, but only briefly. Then he returned to his solemn state. Lucario opened his eyes again and stared out toward the setting sun. The sky was a brilliant shade of pink, with swirls of orange and gold. It calmed him. So much was taking place; it was nice to have a few moments of tranquility. 

"There he is!"

Lucario bolted up. They were here. How had they found him, when he had tried so hard to hide? He raced away toward the mountains, where he knew they wouldn't follow. The humans. The ones who had been chasing him since he was a young Riolu. Lucario closed his eyes and focused. A tree there, a rock here, he dodged them all with ease. Then he saw a moving form, a small one, running along with him at the bottom of the steep cliff.

"Lucario!" He opened his eyes, but continued to run. Eevee. "Lucario!" she yelled again. "Where are you going?"

"Eevee," Lucario started. He thought a moment. His apprentice, his...companion. "Goodbye," he finished, and sped away even faster, leaving the little fox behind, tears in her eyes. She stopped and sat as she watched his form get smaller and smaller.

"Goodbye..."

* * *

Lucario ran until he was sure he had lost them. What would become of the Pokémon in the valley? He didn't want to think about it. Those humans, they were...menaces. Freaks of nature that lived to destroy. And they wanted him. Lucario shuddered. He sensed a cold feeling around his body. The last thing he saw was a beautiful bird, icy blue and sparkling brilliantly. Then, he was covered in ice, frozen solid, falling victim to neither time nor space. And he slept.

The bird looked at Lucario, now totally encased in ice. "Forgive me," she whispered as she flew into the distance, into the sunset.

* * *

"Hey, hey guys, look over here!"

"What is it, Kiki? Not another Caterpie!" The tall blonde girl chased after her friend, hurrying to catch up with her and the boy closer to her, struggling to keep his wiry glasses on as the threesome raced up the mountain. "Slow up! Hey, you too, John," she called.

"How about you hurry up, huh, Rose?" John yelled back. Rose rolled her eyes. Kiki, a brunette about thirteen years old, shouted for the two to get to where she stood.

"Would you look at that! A solid block of ice!" John remarked when he saw the large rectangle of permafrost. "And in the middle of summer, too!"

"Well, come on, get next to it and I'll take a picture," Kiki said. John shined his glasses on his shirt and Rose struggled with her hair. "One..." Kiki began the countdown.

"Hold on, I'm not done my hair! It's too frizzy!" Rose cried. The black-haired boy snickered.

"Two..."

"What should I do? Omigod, my head is a mop! Stop the camera!"

"Three!"

"Cheese!" Both John and Rose smiled. As soon as the flash stopped, Rose's smile changed to a frown. "Drat!" she complained. "Please tell me there's more!"

"Nope, last one!" Kiki laughed. Then she and John began to run down the mountain away from a furious blonde.

Unknown to all of them, however, the camera's flash had both ended and started something, one being more obvious than the other. When the film ended at that precise moment, Kiki's most extreme adventure ever began, as the ice ever slowly melted away...

* * *

"Alright, come on out, Machamp!" John yelled. Kiki and Rose sat on rocks and watched as John took on the wild Umbreon that had appeared before him. The muscular Pokémon smirked as the boy shouted his order. "Cross Chop!"

"You're going down, Missy," he said as a pair of his arms glowed white. He charged.

"Fool, you think that I would have made myself known if I didn't know what I was doing?" The Umbreon's ears twitched and her eyes turned blue as she unleashed a wave of Psychic energy that knocked out the Machamp easily. John cursed.

"What the heck was that?! What a bunch of crap!" Rose giggled and Kiki fell on the ground laughing.

"Type advantage isn't everything, big shot!" Kiki shouted at him through jolts of laughter. The Umbreon smirked and began to walk away. "Hold it!" Kiki yelled. "Give me a turn!"

"Me, too!" Rose called.

"Alright, just don't cry when I win," Umbreon tossed at them curtly with telepathy. She sat down and yawned. "Battle me at the same time, I don't care."

"Ooh!" Rose blew her top. "You're going down! Go, Gengar!"

"You too, Infernape!" Kiki threw her Pokéball into the air and the fire-monkey materialized beside the purple ghost. The two girls nodded at each other.

"Fire Formation!" they ordered together. Infernape charged up an apparent Blast Burn while Gengar rushed toward Umbreon with a Fire Punch. The moonlight fox didn't move.

"Amateurs," she sighed to herself, and with a twitch of her ears an Imprison locked Gengar in place. Right in the line of fire. Infernape tried to stop the move, but it was too late. Gengar was hit with the blazing flames and fainted instantly.

"Gengar!" Rose cried. Umbreon glared at the Infernape, who was trying to recharge as quickly as possible.

_"You're next,"_ she said in a tone that could freeze the sun. Infernape shuddered.

"Kiki, stop this!" she shouted to her trainer. Kiki fumbled around for her Pokéball, then shrieked when she saw it floating in the air.

"Couldn't let you cheat me out of a battle," Umbreon, eyes blue from her Psychic attack, said. "Now," she smirked, "let me show you my own ultimate move!" Umbreon closed her eyes, twitched her ears, and charged a Hydro Cannon.

"OH SNAP!" screamed Kiki.

"Hey, don't worry, the fool's got her eyes closed!" John reassured her. "Hydro Cannon has a tendency to miss even with eye sight. Without it there's a zero chance, especially with Infernape's speed."

Kiki realized that he was right. "Alright, Infernape, as fast as you can! Do a Double Team!" The monkey complied quickly and raced around Umbreon in circles, multiple clones spawning from her body. "Take that, Miss 'I'm the best'!"

"You do know that I'm going easy on you," stated Umbreon with her eyes still closed. She saw many grey forms, but picked out the blue one and tracked it. Then she fired. And it hit.

"Infernape!" Kiki shouted. Umbreon let the Pokéball drop and sauntered away. Then, feeling that she deserved it, she turned to face the three humans and their exhausted Pokémon, pulled down her eyelid with her paw, and stuck out her tongue. Now it was Kiki's turn to scream.

"Get back here you little...!" She raced toward the dark fox.

"Time to go!" Umbreon shouted as she dashed away. But then she abruptly stopped, and Kiki crashed into her. They both looked up. On a boulder stood a prideful Pokémon, solemn face, perfect posture, and a concealed bewilderment in his crimson eyes.

"Lucario?"

Umbreon fainted.

* * *

More chapters coming soon!

Umbreon Mastah


	2. Guess Who's Back

Hey, here's my next chapter. But before, I'm gonna take a moment to thank my reviewers.

**CuddleyEeveeM: **Right on the money! That's gonna tie in a lot later on. Thanks for the review!

**Sir Aaron: **_That _made my day. Thank you so much! I'll keep trying to get it even better. Thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

Umbreon woke up in a small bed, obviously made for a Pokémon, near a fireplace. She scanned the room. The first thing she noticed was that brunette, Kiki, sleeping on a sofa with a Stunky sprawled out on her stomach. The Infernape that she had beaten earlier was snoozing peacefully in a hammock. Against the wall leant a Froslass, her every snore releasing a gust of icy breath. Umbreon looked into the far corner of the room and saw an incubator containing a green egg with two red spots on it. Umbreon tried to fall asleep again when she felt a soft rustling against her side. She glanced down and saw an Eevee snuggling against her. The black fox smiled. The little pre-evolution reminded her of herself, long ago. She reminded her of that fateful day, too, when those humans attacked and her hero was lost. Umbreon pushed that out of her mind and lay down her head. But she was pulled out of attempted sleep again by a sharp and icy cold voice.

"Hey, you," it said.

"Huh? Me?" Umbreon replied sleepily. By the sound of it, the speaker was male.

"Yeah, you," he shot back, "the Umbreon that kicked the heck outa Infernape, right?"

"That would be me." She hoped that the other members of the brunette's team wouldn't address her like this. "How about showing yourself, huh, Mr. 'I'm so spooky, I lie in the shadows so no one sees me when I talk to them like an interrogator or something'?"

The voice snickered. "Alright," he said, "but you asked for it." He stepped out from the darkness. He was a Weavile, but not just any kind. Instead of the usual red and black, he was yellow and...

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE PINK!" Umbreon shrieked. Weavile fell over anime style.

"So I'm pink, okay? Whatever," he pouted.

"HAHAHA! But you sounded like some kind of crime boss back there, and I wasn't expecting...(giggleSNORT)...PINK!!!!!"

"Oh, just be quiet."

"Huh? What's happening?" Kiki sluggishly got up from the sofa and her Stunky jumped off and ran up to Umbreon, sniffing her intently.

"Hey, she smells funny!" he shrieked with delight.

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." From the great commotion, all of the other members of the team, save for Eevee and, obviously, the egg, were wide awake.

"You're finally up," the Froslass said. "When Kiki brought you in I thought you were dead."

"Lovely, Froslass," Infernape shot at her. "Real nice."

"I know," the ice creature replied. Umbreon sighed. This was getting weirder and weirder.

"Wait a second." Umbreon turned to the brunette. "You didn't," she said anxiously, "_capture _me?" Kiki shook her head. "Good, because if you had, I would've flipped out, and you really don't want me to do that."

"Trust me, I know," Weavile confirmed, still a bit battered from the "pink" incident.

"So," Kiki asked, "who was that Pokémon?" Umbreon gave her a blank stare. "On the rock?" she continued.

"Infernape? Gengar? That Machamp?" She had seen about five million Pokémon, which one?

"You don't remember?" Infernape asked. Umbreon shook her head. The weirdness was just cranked up a notch.

"All I remember," she started, "was the battle, then the win, then nothing. Do you remember what he, or she, looked like?"

"Yeah," Weavile, who had watched from inside his Pokéball, said. "Like the one staring in at us from outside the window."

* * *

The second he saw the inhabitants' faces, Lucario knew he had been spotted. He dashed behind the large tree on the lawn and watched for any movement at the door. He thought to himself. That Umbreon he had seen seemed familiar, in an odd sort of way. The reason he had followed the human was to see if he knew the fox. But the world was so strange now. What had happened? He remembered the Pack, and their arrival at the valley, and a cold feeling, and then his mind was blank. But...the valley. That was the first thing he had gone to see when he finally found himself awake on top of the mountain leading to the Tree. He shuddered and recalled the sight-

-there was no grass. No trees, except for a few small ones fenced in. No sign that any wild Pokémon had ever lived there. Where the grass had been lay stone, where the trees had been were large, stone blocks with a few openings. Movement could be seen inside. And where the rock-his rock-had been, there was none other than the tallest block of all, with a symbol splattered on the top that he would never forget, and never be safe with the presence of. And he ran, far away, for nothing...nothing was the same...-

-Lucario came back to himself. He saw dim specks of light coming toward him, and he knew it was time to go. But he had no route of exit that would conceal him, so any movement would draw the light holders' attention rapidly. But the chance had to be taken. And so Lucario fled and ran to the safety of the cliff. Or so he thought...

* * *

"He's over there!" Infernape cried. The six raced toward the motion they had seen behind the tree, Umbreon in the lead, Infernape and Weavile close behind, Kiki with Stunky on her shoulder, and Froslass at the rear. Umbreon knew that figure. She was pushed even harder to catch him. But he was too fast.

"It's pointless! We'll never catch up!" Froslass called between gasping breaths. Umbreon was suddenly given an idea. She twitched her ears, once, twice, three times. Then she shot off like a bullet.

"WHAT was THAT?" Kiki shouted.

"Extreme Speed," Weavile said with a smirk. "Even something _that _fast can't outrun that."

"That's a good thing, right?" Stunky asked. Weavile rolled his eyes.

"Um...duh."

Umbreon was swiftly gaining on the fleeing figure. She dashed toward him at the speed of light. Perfect aim was all she needed. Umbreon closed her eyes and locked on to the wavering blue figure. Three...two...one.

CRASH!

"Ouch." Umbreon rubbed her head as she got up from the ground. "Hey, sorry," she apologized to the one that she collided with. He struggled to get up. As he stood, Umbreon could see him by the moonlight. "Lucario! It is you!" She ran up to the fighting Pokémon and gave him a huge hug. Lucario blinked. This was awkward.

"...hello," Lucario, trying to sound as collected as he could, said to the dark fox wrapping her front legs around his waist. "May you be so kind to tell me where and...when I am?"

Umbreon stopped hugging Lucario. "Don't you remember, Lucario? It's the outskirts of the Tree of Beginning. And...um...so if last year was...oh, yeah! It's 2004!"

Lucario jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you were gone for about twenty years. You don't look any older, though," she told him. "Where were you, anyway?"

Lucario still stared at her blankly. Then, something hit him. "Eevee?" he asked her. The Umbreon nodded. "What happened?" Lucario questioned. Umbreon sighed.

"I've got a lot to tell you."

* * *

Please keep R&R-ing!

Umbreon Mastah


	3. You Will Be Mine

I tried to make this one a bit more emotional. Hope it's good!

**Sir Aaron: **Like last time, thanks! I hoped that the humor would work out into the story. "OH MY GOD YOU'RE PINK!" That just hit me when I saw the shiny Weavile and I thought, "Wow, for a mean looking Pokemon it's weird its shiny is pink." Thanks for the review.

**WARNING: **There is some gore in this chapter. Not so much that it's an all bloody, horror movie chapter, but it's still there. Just some fair warning.

**Disclaimer: I believe we know this by now, but I do not own Pokemon. I own Ciar.**

* * *

Umbreon, Lucario, Kiki, John, and Rose were gathered around Kiki's kitchen table the next morning. Last night's escapades had been a bit too much for the Pokémon and Kiki, so the brunette decided to call her closet friends in the morning and then they would talk. Umbreon was just finishing her two decade recount now. 

"...and that's about all that happened," Umbreon finished.

"That's a lot," said Rose. Lucario looked completely bewildered.

"Um...yeah, Rose, it's twenty years. It couldn't possible be as long as that," John told her sarcastically.

"Umbreon," Lucario asked, "what happened to the valley?" The fox lost her cheerful expression.

"The valley? Well, when I found out they were building a town there, I tried to stop them, but..."

"Just you?" interrupted Lucario. "Didn't the others help?"

"Lucario, the others...couldn't help," Umbreon said gloomily. "They...kinda...weren't there anymore."

"You mean..." Umbreon nodded. "No!" the fighting/steel type cried. "This can't be happening! It must be a dream!" He leapt out of the window and ran toward the former valley.

"One for quick exits, huh?" Kiki said.

"Oh, shut up, Kiki," Umbreon shot at her as the foursome followed out the door.

* * *

Lucario finally made it to the place where the valley had been. How could it have happened? What went on when he left? Should he have left? Lucario sat down next to a small garden on the outskirts of the town, filled with strange, twirling purplish-blue flowers. One of them, as soon as he sat, released a small blue spore from its top. Lucario turned his head and looked at the weird sphere. Suddenly, the spore burst and sent out a wave of energy projecting an image. And Lucario did not like what he saw. 

It was the valley, just like it had been the year he had, as Umbreon said, "left," except that it was on fire. There were charred bodies of Pokémon who had tried to escape, and the others were surrounded, backed up into a small corner by five Mightyenna. Lucario shut his eyes. Was this...an illusion? "Very funny, Ciar!" he shouted. "Whatever this is, make it stop!" But it did not stop. Lucario did not open his eyes until the screams he heard ceased and another sound began, a soft pit-pat of footsteps.

"Auntie! Uncle!" Lucario knew the voice. It was Eevee. He forced himself to look. The little brown fox raced up to a Leafeon and an Espeon, Lateefa and Tama, the ones who had taken Lucario in. They were cut all over, blood gushing from their wounds. Lateefa raised up her head wanly.

"Eevee," she said, "you must run. There was nothing you could have done." With that, she lay down her head again and entered eternal sleep, just like Tama, but not before uttering a final request. "Always remember...that we'll never stop loving you, both you and Lucario." And Lucario broke down and cried.

* * *

The first thing Umbreon and the three trainers saw was a weird image projected across the landscape. The second was Lucario. Umbreon knew immediately that something was wrong. 

"Lucario! You okay?" she called to him, but there was no reply. "Lucario?" Umbreon hurried to reach him.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked.

"He's unconscious," Umbreon replied, "and that's not a good thing."

"Well, _duh_ it's not a good thing." Kiki and John had arrived at the scene.

"No, it takes a heck of a lot to knock out Lucario. He's been hit with logs, rocks, birthday cake...," she trailed off.

"Birthday cake?" Kiki asked.

"Long story."

Lucario suddenly jolted up. "Ciar!" he warned. The three humans looked puzzled, but Umbreon panicked.

"Where?" Lucario motioned toward the image. "Auntie and Uncle! No!" Umbreon was haunted by her memories.

"I shouldn't...have left...," he said. Then he drew their attention to a symbol carved into a tree in the image, a sketchy P with a diagonal slash through it. The same one that adorned the tallest building in the town.

"What's happened here?" John asked. Lucario shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. "Something to do with these flowers." The fighting type pointed toward the garden. At that moment, the image collapsed into the tiny spore again, and it entered the flower just as it had exited it.

"So, who is this Ciar?" Rose asked.

"That would be me," a dark voice behind them said. The five whipped around and Umbreon gasped.

He stood six feet tall, his two dark leather boots adding even more to his height. He wore cargo pants like those worn in the air, and a black jacket vest over his navy blue T-shirt. His goatee matched the color of his eyes, mahogany, and he had an earring in his right ear.

"Long time, no see, Lucario," he said in a sinister tone.

"Ciar," Lucario growled.

"I'm very grateful that you managed to tucker yourself out before I found you," the man remarked as he enlarged a Pokéball. "Makes my job a lot easier," he smirked as he released a Mightyenna. "Get him," he ordered, and the dark hyena complied.

"Oh, no you don't," Kiki shouted as she let out Infernape. John released an Empoleon, and Rose a Torterra. Umbreon jumped in front.

"You're goin' through us first," she snarled at him.

"Fine by me. Mightyenna, Night Whip!" The Mightyenna howled and let out seven long strands of rope made from dark energy. Umbreon had enough experience with Ciar to hastily pick up Lucario with a Psychic and moved out of the way. Infernape, with her quick reflexes, followed Umbreon's lead and got Kiki to safety. The other four weren't so lucky, though. The rope wrapped around each of them and sucked them in.

"Kiki!" John shouted. His cry was muffled as he was absorbed into Mightyenna's body, along with the grass and water starters and Rose.

"That's cheap!" Infernape shot at the man. "Let them go! It's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair, my dear," the evil man said simply. He ordered another Night Whip.

As the move was about to hit its target, a pink bubble appeared and sent the whip flying back at the hyena. "Grab my tail!" a strange, melodic voice said. Kiki, unsure of what else to do, grabbed on to the speaker's pink tail. Infernape clenched Kiki's arm, Umbreon held on to Infernape's leg, and Lucario weakly pulled himself onto Umbreon back. And they teleported.

* * *

Kiki woke up what seemed like hours, but was actually only a few minutes, later. She found herself in a hot spring rich with plant life. She saw Infernape leaning on a tree to help get herself up. Umbreon was trying to revive Lucario, and their pink rescuer was floating near the fox, making sure Lucario was okay. When he finally awoke, Kiki mustered up the courage to say something. 

"Thank you very much, um, Miss..."

"Mew," the cat said. "Just call me Mew."

"Mew," Lucario repeated. "Why did you save us?"

"Do I need a reason?" she answered. "You were in trouble, and I couldn't let you just be sucked in like your friends were. I didn't realize the danger of the move until it occurred. But, I have this strange feeling something terrible is going to happen, to not only to you but to the Tree also."

"You mean," asked Umbreon, "that we're in the Tree of Beginning? _The _Tree of Beginning?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Mew nodded. "How 'bout I give you the grand tour?"

* * *

Ciar stared up at the sky. "This is only a temporary setback, Lucario," he said. "I have your friends, and they're pretty lonely. You will be mine, Lucario." He paused and snickered. 

"_You will be mine."_

* * *

And there you have it. Voila! Keep R&Ring please! (scurries off to write more) Bye! 

Umbreon Mastah


	4. Trouble at the Tree

And here we are again.

This chapter has a few fillers, and the romance _truly _begins here.

**Sir Aaron: **Thanks. I like birthday cake...:) I llike Ciar a lot. He's fun to write about. He's just so...evil. Thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

It was calm in the Tree of Beginning. Kiki had let her team out and they were roaming the immense spring and talking with the Pokémon who lived there. Infernape was racing a Rapidash around the lake, Froslass had decided to snooze, Stunky and a Glameow were sniffing each other, and Weavile had gotten into an argument with an Aerodactyl about his "pink"-ness. Okay, maybe it wasn't so calm, but you get the point. Eevee had gone up to Umbreon and started chatting with her.

"So," she said, "what do you think is the best evolution?"

Umbreon thought. "I don't know," she concluded. "Whatever one fits you best."

"Did Umbreon fit you best?" the Eevee asked. Umbreon shrugged. "Then why did you evolve?"

"Well...can you keep a secret?" she whispered. Eevee nodded. Secrets were always exciting. "I did it...to impress someone."

"In the good way or the bad way?"

"What's the bad way?"

"If there's someone you hate," the brown fox began, "and you train and evolve just to rub it in their face, I consider that bad."

"...that definitely wasn't the case," said Umbreon as her glance drifted up to where Mew and Lucario were talking. "Positively the good way." The two continued chatting for a while.

"Um, guys?" Kiki broke the merry mood. "We've got trouble!" The Pokémon dashed to the opening in the Tree where Kiki had been looking. Ciar was outside.

* * *

That morning, Ciar had been rudely awakened by one of his Pack grunts. "Sir!" he shouted as he ran in the door.

"What is it?" Ciar grumbled.

"We may have found the location of Lucario, sir!"

"Where?"

"The Tree of Beginning, sir."

"The Tree of Beginning, huh?" Ciar run his hand through his goatee. "Get my vest!" he shouted to the grunt.

"Sir, yes sir!" he replied and raced to the laundry room.

"The Tree of Beginning. So that's where Mew must have taken them. It's a dangerous climb," Ciar said to himself. "But," he continued as the grunt came back in with the neatly folded vest, "danger is my middle name."

"I thought it was Clarice," the undermine said as he handed Ciar the vest.

"Just get out of here!" The frightened henchman fled from the room. He knew what could happen if the boss got angry. Ciar looked out his window at the distant Tree.

"I'm coming for you, Lucario. You can run, but you can't hide."

* * *

"We've got to get out of here!" Mew informed the group anxiously.

"Don't we know it?" Weavile rolled his eyes as he and his other teammates were returned to their Pokéballs.

"What's the safest exit?" Kiki asked the little pink kitten Pokémon. Mew pointed toward a tree trunk.

"Through there," she said. Kiki nodded and ran toward the trunk, but she crashed. "Not there," muttered Mew, "_there._" The three noticed that she was pointing toward the bottom of the tree, where a dim patch of green light could be seen. Mew floated over and seemed to morph right through it. The others glanced at each other.

"You first," Lucario said to Kiki, Kiki said to Umbreon, and Umbreon said to Lucario. There was silence for a moment. Finally, Umbreon got up.

"All right, I'll go first!" she said. "Scaredy-cats." The dark fox also walked toward the tree and morphed through. Lucario and Kiki were left behind. Until, that is, Kiki decided to push Lucario through.

"Hey!" he shouted as he disappeared. Kiki laughed, then held her nose and cannonball-ed in.

The foursome found themselves in a weird, vertical tube-like hallway. There were bubbles coming up from what seemed like a bottomless pit. "Grab one!" Mew shouted as she lay on top of a blue bubble, looking quite relaxed. Lucario jumped and sat on a purple one, Kiki rode pink, and Umbreon struggled to stay on top of her yellow ride. She reminded herself for the fiftieth time the disadvantages of paws.

"Um, Mew," she said, "what happens when we hit the ceiling?"

"What ceiling?" Mew laughed. They continued to float upward. When it seemed like the end was in sight, the four morphed through the ceiling, just like they had did to enter.

"Remind me not to do that again," stated Kiki, a bit giddy from the heights. "So where are we?...we?...we?" Her echo rang out over the horizon. The Pokémon, plus herself, had reached the cliff leading to the tree. Unfortunately, someone else heard it. Ciar turned their way.

"You said this was an exit, Mew, not a deathtrap!" Lucario snapped at her.

"Um...sorry?"

* * *

Ciar smirked. He had them just where he wanted them. The man took out a small ball and threw it. Halfway through the air it popped open into a net and flew toward the quartet of friends. A second later, Mew was snared in the trap. "Not the one I wanted," Ciar said leisurely, "but two _is _better than one." He pressed a button on his wrist watch and the net reeled in to him.

"Don't even try it," Lucario warned. He shot an Aura Sphere attack that burst the net into millions of pieces. Umbreon closed her eyes and twitched her ears. When she opened them, they were a brilliant blue. Her Psychic attack pushed Ciar back away from them.

"Now would be the time to run!" Kiki shouted. The Pokémon nodded and made a break for it. Umbreon closed her eyes. Her ears twitched again, and a Rock Slide came out of nowhere and blocked the route to them. She sat down and rested. That attack of Lucario's, the unique one, that brought back quite the memory...

-"Eevee, today I'll show you a move only those who can see Aura can learn," Lucario told his pupil. She hopped up and down excitedly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's called Aura Sphere," he replied. "Watch carefully." He stood with his eyes closed while Eevee watched intently. "First," he said, "you imagine an ocean. Then, you guide that tranquil feeling into your blood flow. Think of a huge wave, building and building, then suddenly..." A blue sphere had appeared between his spiked paws. "...you feel it crash." With that he let go of the sphere and it collided with a nearby tree. "You try."

"Okay," Eevee said. She closed her eyes.

"Now repeat what I said."

"Imagine an ocean," Eevee repeated. She saw the calm waves, going in and out, in and out. "Guide the tranquil feeling into the blood flow." The fox drew the sense of calmness into herself, felt it rush through her circulation. "Think of a building wave." Between her ears there was a small fizzle of blue light. "Feel it crash," she finished. The fizzle morphed into a small sphere and flew toward the tree on the same path that Lucario's did. Eevee opened her eyes. "It wasn't as big as yours," she said disappointedly Lucario chuckled, a rare event.

"Well, it was five times the size of _my _first try," he told her. Eevee smiled a bit more.

"Eevee, Lucario, time for dinner!" Tama's voice cried through the humid air.

"Coming Uncle!" Eevee called back. "Race you?" she asked Lucario. He nodded, and they both set off. Lucario gained the lead quickly enough, like he always did, but this raced, as Eevee stared at him from behind, she felt something that she had never felt before, like she never, ever wanted him to leave her...-

"Umbreon!" Kiki's shriek broke Umbreon's reminisce. The boulder's she had tossed down were breaking, bursting under an apparent Hydro Pump from a Feraligatr on the other side. How come, she wondered, Ciar always had the perfect Pokémon? The last time she had faced him, that twerp had been a measly Totodile. But there was no time to think about that.

The rocks burst. "Come out and play!" came a menacing voice from the other side belonging to none other then Ciar. The other three urged her to run, but she wouldn't. Lucario was the first to understand what Umbreon meant. She wouldn't run again.

She would stand and fight.

* * *

There you have it. Hope it's goin' good! (runs away with massive pencil and birthday cake to write) Hasta la vista!

Umbreon Mastah


	5. The Pinks, the Blacks, and the Blues

Well, here we are. Some humor, some terror, and some...romance. Maybe not just _some._ O.o

Hope it's good!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon...or the "Nag Song."**

* * *

Umbreon had changed so much. The timid, quiet Eevee that had been his apprentice was a now a full-fledged warrior. Lucario stood thinking while waiting for Ciar's first command. Always let your enemy strike first. That was his game plan. Lucario glanced at the black fox next to him. Something happened when Lucario realized who Umbreon was. Now, every time he looked at her, he felt...tingly. Like there was a fire inside him. And when she wasn't there, he felt empty. The command came.

"Hydro Pump!"

The Feraligatr shot streams of rushing water toward Lucario. Umbreon dashed in front and crossed her ears, Reflecting the move back to him, where it hit his ally Mightyenna in the face. Lucario charged his Aura Spheres and shot them at the hyena while Umbreon took on the alligator with a twitch of her ears and a bolt of Thunder. Suddenly, a stray Shadow Ball's jagged path headed straight toward Kiki. The girl screamed. Umbreon dragged herself away from the battle quickly enough to twitch her ears and use Psychic to pull the ball away from the girl and straight into Feraligatr's chest. Umbreon finished him off with a deadly Thunder Punch while Lucario used Force Palm against the staggering Mightyenna and ended it with a final Aura Sphere. He wondered, though, once the battle concluded, why Umbreon always knew the perfect move for the occasion. Maybe because that's what she was...

_...perfect._

* * *

Ciar didn't curse. He didn't shout or throw his Pokéballs to the ground. He simply returned his battered Pokémon and put them back on his belt. "I underestimated you, Lucario," he said. Then he motioned toward Umbreon. "And your girlfriend, too."

"GIRLFRIEND?!" the two Pokémon shouted together. Umbreon blushed and Lucario couldn't breathe.

"But trust me, I will be back." With that, Ciar jumped off the cliff into a Jeep parked below and drove away.

"I'm really starting to hate this guy," Mew thought aloud.

"And you didn't before?" Kiki said sarcastically. Umbreon and Lucario still sat, dumbfounded. Umbreon finally turned her head and looked at Lucario. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. There was still an unearthly silence. Mew's eyes twitched back and forth. She looked for something to break the ice. With one glance she spotted a nearby stream. A light bulb clicked.

"WATER FIGHT!" she screamed and started splashing Kiki. Umbreon and Lucario shrugged and joined in. As the fight went on, Umbreon realized how much she hated villains' monologues.

Especially when she wished they were true.

* * *

Rose sighed. Man, the Pack _couldn't _have made this place any _cozier_, she thought to herself as she leaned against the indestructible bars of the barren dungeon. John had taken out a random harmonica from his bag and had started playing while his Growlithe and her Luxio sang the blues. Luxio started the first verse.

"I had the life," (dum da da dum)

"...livin' real fine," (dum da da dum)

"...'til I ran into trouble," (dum da da dum)

"...now I've lost my mind." (dum da da dum)

Growlithe picked it up.

"Been trapped in a dungeon," (dum da da dum)

"...by an ugly thug." (dum da da dum)

"I don't know how much longer," (dum da da dum)

"...'til I'm a rug." (dum da da...SCREECH!)

"Growlithe, that's disgusting!" Luxio cried.

The puppy shrugged. "Well, it's true," he said.

"Thanks," she shot back, "for that wonderful mental image."

"Let's cut the sing-along for a while, shall we?" John suggested. Rose rolled her eyes. Leave it to Growlithe to ruin an entire song. Not that it was in tune, though.

The door boomed open as Ciar charged in. One of the guards walked up to him.

"What's the report, sir?" he asked.

"They got away," the man grumbled, "but not for long. I've got a secret weapon." He smirked. "They'll cooperate to save their friends."

Rose gasped. "You vile, horrifying, villainous, dirty, evil man!" she shouted at him.

"Thank you, my dear," Ciar replied. "I try."

This was not good.

* * *

The four soaked friends had retired to the Tree for the night. Lucario leapt up to the top of an oak tree and slept on a branch. Kiki snoozed inside a hollowed out rowan, and Mew slept on the lowest branch of a birch. Umbreon was lying down at the bottom of an elm tree, but she couldn't fall asleep. Something was keeping her up. It was a little nag and the back of her brain, singing the "Nag Song" at the top of its lungs.

"Nag it to the left...nag it to the right...come on, everybody, let's nag it all night."

"Shut up!" she screamed at it, but it still kept going. "Crap those catchy tunes," the fox said to herself. But the nag went away once she heard a loud knocking. Umbreon figured some Cranidos were having a head fight, so she tried to doze again.

_DING-DONG!_

Umbreon ran to the sound. She went outside, but was too late to realize that the Tree didn't have a door.

"Knock, knock, dearie," came that infamous voice. Behind him was a large pack of fifty Mightyenna, led by his.

"Oh snap."

* * *

Oh snap. All I can say. Now..."come on, everybody let's nag all night!" (runs away to write singing the "Nag Song") See ya later!

Umbreon Mastah


	6. How to Make a Dream

Hi, everybody!

(HI DOCTOR NICK!)

Here's the next chapter! Hope it's up to snuff!

**Sir Aaron: **As always, thanks! I'm gonna keep trying to get better!

**Shiguya Retomasi: **You like it? Thanks! Glad you think it's good!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or _Pirates of the Caribbean._**

* * *

"Um...hi!" Umbreon said to the horrifying figure in front of her. She had to stall. There was no way that she could take fifty Mightyenna by herself, so she tried her best to find some way to wake the others up.

"Glad to see you're up," Ciar commented, "and not the other gnats."

"Gee, that makes me feel special."

"Alright, boys..." One of the Mightyenna, a smaller one, stuck her nose up in the air. "...and girl..." Ciar sweatdropped. "Attack her!"

"Hold on a second!" the fox called. "Parlay!"

"Parlay?"

Umbreon sighed. "Obviously, _someone's _a bit shy on _Pirates of the Caribbean _knowledge." She began to explain the use of the French phrase "parlay" and hoped that the others would get up by the time she was done.

"Oh, curse the French," Ciar muttered. "Well, you're coming with us one way or another, so get in the Jeep."

"Uh..." Umbreon thought fast, since no one had heard her yet. Then it hit her like a fifteen-week-old Magikarp. "Did you know," she asked, "that Weavile is pink? Isn't that such a girly color?"

Inside his Pokéball, Weavile's golden eyes snapped open.

* * *

-So he was pink. He'd been pink ever since he was a little Sneasel. The others had, well, taken quite the liking to his color. A liking to tease him for it, that is. "Girly!" and "Pinky!" were all he heard at hunting class. "Le Pink Weasel" was soon even more used than his given name. He was shunned. His family, his parents even laughed at him. So he left to try to evolve, hoping his color would change. That fateful night he became Weavile, he looked down at his arm only to see...

...that it was still pink. He became the laughing stock of the colony. He was mentally scarred. Never again did he want to be "Pinky, where's the Brain? Oh, right, he doesn't have one!" He left, and, two days later, got himself into a jam with a young Pokémon trainer and her Stunky. And now he was where he is today.-

Weavile roared with anger and broke out of his Pokéball, awakening every single solitary living thing in the Tree of Beginning. He dashed out of the Tree and glared at Umbreon, Ciar, and the Mightyenna. "Who...called...me...GIRLY?" All at once, all of the hyenas, plus Umbreon, pointed at Ciar.

"He did!"

Weavile snarled.

"Crap." Ciar ran for his life. Weavile smirked. No one called him girly and got away with it.

"Thank you...," said the girl Mightyenna feebly. The weasel and the fox looked at her.

A cry broke the awkward silence. "WE'RE FREE!" The Mightyenna pack started dancing and throwing leaves as confetti. Kiki, Mew, and Lucario appeared at the scene, bewildered. The female Mightyenna and Ciar's former partner walked up to the group.

"He kept us as slaves," the leader said. "You saved us. But, hate to break it you, he'll be back. Don't try telling that to these nitwits, though," he sighed, pointing to the mass of overjoyed Mightyenna.

"We'd better go," remarked the other, "before we wake the whole world."

"I think it's too late for that," Kiki groaned. The two Mightyenna pushed the entire group to leave, waving goodbye to their heroes.

"Not the most wanted thing at three a.m.," Lucario stated, "but there's worse."

* * *

"Okay, so it wasn't the greatest victory of all time," Ciar told his audience as he paced back and forth in his room. "But what can I say? I really didn't feel like being sliced and diced like a potato." There was no response. "And...I also lost fifty of the best Mightyenna ever bred, but I can get more, right?" Still nothing. "...You're right! All I need is to catch that Umbreon, and Lucario will come crawling on his knees to trade himself in for her freedom. Then supreme power will be mine!" No sound at all. "I'm glad we had this talk. Thank you, Mr. Snuffikens. You too, Miss Fluffywuffs." With that, Ciar left the room, his two dolls sitting on the bed. As the door shut, they both got up and high-fived each other.

* * *

Kiki finally decided that this situation wasn't going to get any weirder. For one, when did Mightyenna throw _leaves_? Seriously. And why did Mew play chess so well? She's a Pokémon! "Oui vey!" she shouted as Mew "check-mated" her for the tenth time. The pink cat snickered.

"Play again?" she taunted, holding the, um, _paw-_made wooden knight that she had just vanquished Kiki's king with.

Kiki gave in. "Last time," she told the Pokémon, although she had a pretty strong feeling that wasn't going to be true. Mew squealed with delight and set up the pieces again. Lucario and Umbreon watched the eleventh game with as much enthusiasm as the first, meaning none.

"I'm so stinkin' bored, I'd rather dunk my head in a lake than do this," Umbreon yawned. Lucario agreed with a snore.

"Has Kiki won yet?" he murmured sleepily. Umbreon shook her head. "Then I'm gonna be asleep a while longer," the fighting type said.

"Thanks for the support, guys," the human snapped. She had already lost her queen in the first few minutes of the game and was well on her way to another loss.

"Hey, I don't remember asking this, but why is Ciar after you two anyway?" Mew inquired.

"He's only after me," Lucario replied. "I can see Aura, like some Pokémon can, but, unlike others, I can manipulate it."

"WHAT?!" shouted the black fox. "You never taught me how to do THAT!"

"You can't be taught. You just have to be born with it."

"So," asked Kiki, "you can change people's feelings and stuff. Like happy to sad and whatnot?"

"Not only that, but total mind-control, also," he told them.

"MIND-CONTROL? COOLIO!" Mew screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Not very coolio," the Pokémon said darkly, "if I ordered you to jump off a cliff." Mew stopped raving.

"That's why Ciar wants you?" Umbreon wondered aloud. "World domination?" Lucario nodded. There was a deathly silence. Kiki glanced down at the painted tree stump, their game board.

"Hey, look, I won!"

* * *

That night, many people gazed out at the twilight sky. Many people saw a shooting star, brilliantly dashing for the finish line at the end of its journey. Many people thought quietly to themselves and wished. Many people wished many things.

Kiki wished that she could go home.

Weavile wished people would stop making fun of his pink-ness.

Mew wished that she knew how Kiki won that game.

John wished he hadn't thrown away his harmonica.

Rose wished that the indestructible bars weren't really indestructible.

Growlithe wished people appreciated his song-writing skills.

Lucario wished for Ciar to boil in a lava pit.

Ciar wished that his plan would work.

Umbreon, though, did not wish, but dreamed. She dreamed a dream so great, so big, starting with a parting and ending with a kiss, and she remembered, in her dream, the words that her Auntie Lateefa told her...

_

* * *

_

_you take a wish,_

_add some heart,_

_a little soul,_

_a cup of hope,_

_a teaspoon of spirit,_

_a pinch of optimism,_

_and a lot of love,_

_and so you have a dream,_

_which has a much greater tendency_

_to come true._

* * *

Um...there you have it? I know the poems kinda sappy ('cause I wrote it) but it fits...I think... But, until the next chapter...

Bye, everybody!

(BYE DOCTOR NICK!)

Umbreon Mastah


	7. Through a Letter

Well, hi everybody! Sorry it took so long, but this is my longest chapter yet!

**Sasha Diva Angel: **Thanks! Um...POOF! Your wish has come true! Here's the chappie! Thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. (I feel like a broken record.)**

Enjoy! A bit of fluff, and some humor, too!

* * *

It was pitch black. Nothing could be seen in the dark vassal of emptiness in which Lucario stood. He closed his eyes. Not a single Aura was wavering. How had he gotten here? No idea. Where was he? Not a clue. Lucario searched for an exit, but as soon as he moved, flames shot up from the ground and surrounded him. They closed in on him...tighter and tighter until he could no longer breathe...

...Lucario woke up, sweating. Then he sighed. It was only a nightmare He sat up and looked around. Kiki, Umbreon, and Mew weren't there. "They couldn't have _all _needed to go to the bathroom," the fighting type thought aloud. But he was interrupted by a loud explosion.

"Lucario!" It was Umbreon. "Lucario, run!" she shouted. Lucario couldn't see her, but did what she said anyway. Jumping to and fro to dodge the millions of grenades being chucked at him, he exited the Tree and got as far away as possible. Then he concealed himself behind a boulder and waited for the others.

Hours passed by, but no one came.

Lucario began to worry. It didn't take _that _long to get out of a place under siege, did it? But what if they didn't make it? Lucario had never thought of that. That couldn't be possible! Umbreon would be okay, Mew knew her way around the Tree, and Kiki had those two. They'd be fine!

_But what if they weren't?_

The gruesome question kept stabbing Lucario's mind. There had been so many things he hadn't said! He hadn't told Umbreon how he felt, he didn't know if she felt the same way! Lucario sat and looked to his left. There was another flower, like the one that had brought him so much agony before. "Well, it doesn't get worse than this," he told himself, so he gently touched the flower, which released a spore. Lucario backed up as the spore familiarly burst into a projected image.

It was Eevee, burying something, tears welling up in her eyes. She finished patting down the dirt, then walked away. She had only gotten three steps, however, when she turned to face the spot in which she had buried the...whatever it was, and whispered, "I miss you." Then she commenced running in the opposite direction. The image started to collapse, but Lucario caught the location of the object in question.

He was sitting on it.

Lucario began to dig until he hit something hard. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was a chest. The fighting type opened it and gasped at what he saw.

Inside, the first thing on top was a photo album. Lucario picked it up and leafed through the pages. There was a picture of him and Eevee sitting on the rock, the picture of him getting splattered with birthday cake. He sighed. Tama always picked the right moments to snap a photo with that camera he had found in the valley one day. After that, there were pictures of the day Eevee began to learn to see Aura, the day that she had made her first truly successful Aura Sphere. Then came the pictures of Christmases and Halloweens, the Thanksgiving disaster and the St. Patrick's Day gold hunt. Finally, Lucario came to the last page, donning his first Valentine's Day with Eevee's family. Eevee was timidly handing him a handmade Valentine, covered in little pink hearts. Lucario smiled and put the album down. He pulled out a few rotten Apricots and Pecha berries, a drawing of him and Eevee, and some ribbon that Eevee had collected, before coming across a strange envelope. Lucario opened it.

"Seventeenth Day of the Month of Februs, Year of the Rat, Freya's Day..." he read to himself. Two days before the Pack had arrived.

"...Dear Lucario," the fighting type continued. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time. You see, I consider you more than a friend. Ever since you agreed to teach me, I was always excited about our lessons because I wanted to learn Aura. But, later on, I became excited because I wanted to spend more time alone with you. I know that you're going to think that I'm too young, and I guess I am,..." _And this from the head of a child?_ he thought to himself. "...but I just wanted to tell you how I feel. Enclosed with this letter is a flower that I thought you'd like, an iris. It's my favorite flower..." But it was his, too! "...so I believe that it makes the letter more special. So, I guess what I've been trying to say this whole letter is that..." Lucario gulped as he looked at the four words following. He read them in a hoarse whisper.

"_...I love you, Lucario."_

Lucario placed the letter, unmistakably from Eevee, on the ground beside him, then looked in the chest once more. All the way at the bottom was a wilted iris, bent and worn. He gently took it out and turned it around in the palm of his hand. The Pokémon dug a small hole in the ground and placed the iris there, and it took root, ever so slightly, clinging to the only shard of life it had left. A tear rolled down Lucario's cheek and hit the ground. Then, pulling himself out of his trance, he got up and shook the tears away.

There was no way that he was losing her. Not now. Lucario readied himself, then set off toward the burning Tree with a speed no living creature had ever reached before. This was his destiny.

Behind him, where that single tear had fallen, the iris sucked up the water from it. The special nourishment from the drop rushed through the iris's stem and to its leaves and petals. And the iris bloomed once more.

* * *

"Not you, too?" Rose sighed as Umbreon, Mew, and Kiki were shoved into the mobile cell that had carried her and John deep inside the Tree of Beginning. Oh joy, there goes their last hope of getting out of here.

"Ouch!" squealed Kiki as she landed with a thump on her bottom. Rose sweatdropped. It wasn't much of a hope to begin with. As soon as one of the Pack grunts locked the cell and left, Mew began slamming against the bars, trying to break them.

"It's no use!" shouted Rose. "They're indestructible." She slumped down to the floor. "We're all gonna die."

"Thank you, Miss Sunshine," Umbreon shot at her sarcastically.

Kiki whispered to John, "When did Rose go emo?"

Mew finally gave up and instead started banging her head on the floor. "Uh, Mew?" Umbreon asked. "You okay? Kiki's supposed to be the crazy one."

"Hey!" the brunette yelled. John chuckled.

"Right on the money there!" he replied. At that moment, Ciar walked in.

"How are you enjoying your stay?" the Pack leader asked smoothly.

"Um, I could go for some food right now, the décor is kinda drag, you need to add some beds, remove the bars, but, other than that, you could start a fine business here!"

Ciar glared at Umbreon. "That was a rhetorical question!" The black fox shrunk back.

"Oh."

The pink Pokémon stopped bashing her head against the ground and broke into song, until she suddenly started bawling uncontrollably. "I think Mew's finally lost it," muttered Kiki.

"Your feline friend has not, as you say, 'lost it'," the menacing man explained, "but Mew is connected to the Tree of Beginning, so any changes in homeostasis _it _experiences, she does also." He snickered. "And with all my men here, the Tree is raging out of control. It has never felt this much human activity."

"The Tree has homeostasis?"

"Mew hasn't gone insane?"

"She's connected to the Tree?"

"Mew's a cat?"

"KIKI!" the other three screamed.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Were you buffoons listening?" he shouted. "YES! And soon enough, the Tree will implode on itself, with you in it!" Ciar laughed.

"But I don't wanna be blown up!" Rose pouted.

"I will only stop if Lucario gives himself up to me. So, either way, I win!"

"He'll never do that, you..." Umbreon searched for the right word. "...you creep!"

"Creep? Ha, that's a new one! I've heard evil, horrifying, crazy, moron, and..." BEEP!

"Huh?" John asked. Ciar shrugged.

"Those stupid filters follow me everywhere I go." He continued to list the names his victims had given him.

"How about 'dead meat'?" came a voice from the ceiling.

"Hmm, dead meat, dead meat, I don't think so," the crime boss wondered aloud. Then, with sudden realization, he snarled. "Where are you, Lucario?"

"In your nightmares!" the fighting type cried as he burst through the top of the room and landed on Ciar's head, knocking him out. He rushed to the cell release switch and pulled it. "He's not going to stay out cold for long," Lucario told the former captives, looking at the unconscious man in a heap next to him. He swore he heard him mutter "Ooh, look, pretty ponies...Hi, pretty ponies!" but decided not to think about it too hard.

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Rose asked Lucario as the group sped down the natural hallways of the Tree of Beginning. Kiki glanced at Mew, who was having fits while lying on Umbreon's back.

"Get out," Lucario said simply.

"But we have to save Mew first!" Kiki shouted. They stopped.

"Alright then, how do you suppose we'll do that?" John looked at Kiki skeptically. "Kill every single Pack member in the Tree? Sorry, but I'm _not _being turned into a murderer." Kiki sighed. That kinda _had _been her plan.

Suddenly, Umbreon shouted, "I've got it!" Then she flicked her ears back and forth and transformed into a life-size version of Ciar.

"OH MY GOD! CIAR'S FOUND US! SAVE ME!" Rose screamed.

"Rose..." Kiki rolled her eyes.

"Alright, Umbreon, you go do what you're going to do, and I'll keep us hidden," Lucario said. The three humans nodded, and Lucario pointed to a tree trunk that stuck out from the wall. "There," he told them, and they flocked behind it. "Good luck, Umbreon." Then he too hid himself. Umbreon took a deep breath and marched in her leather boots to a small cliff overlooking the disaster the men had created.

"Wonderful," she muttered to herself. There were fires everywhere, trees on their sides, bushes uprooted. She knew what she had to do.

"MAGGOTS!" she shouted in Ciar's voice. "I have captured Lucario! We are through here! Leave NOW!" The grunts cheered and ran out the exit. Umbreon-Ciar smirked, then, once she was sure all of the henchmen were gone, morphed back into her normal fox form. She motioned for Lucario and the others.

"Yeah! We saved the Tree! We saved the Tree!" Kiki started singing. Mew flew up into the air and landed on Umbreon head. While the other members of the group were partying, Mew whispered in a hoarse voice to the black fox,

"Umbreon, I don't feel so good."

Then she collapsed. The Tree started to turn a deathly black color, the bushes and leaves on plants shriveled up. "Um, guys?" Umbreon said. They all looked at her.

"We've got a major problem."

* * *

There you go! But now, I've got a bit of bad news (but I guess it_ could _be good news):

The next chapter is the last one. So, I decided to give everyone a formal invitation.

To: YOU

What: The last chapter of _Moon and Sun: Escape from the Pack_

Why: 'Cause it's important!

When: As soon as I get it up.

From: Umbreon Mastah

B.Y.O.H. (Bring your own hanky)

THERE WILL BE A KISS!

See ya there!

Umbreon Mastah


	8. The End of the End

Well, hello! As I said before: This is the LAST chapter. Enjoy it! (Hope you remembered to bring your hanky!)

**eeveelover893: **Thank you! Lucario's probably my second favorite (after Umbreon! ) I'm glad you like it!

**Shiguya Retomasi: **Halleluia I'm not them! Thanks again!

**Sasha Diva Angel: **You don't have to worry, I'll always keep writing! Thanks a lot!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, as always. The poem is mine. (snarls) NO TOUCHY! (whispers) sorry.**

Here we are, at the end. So, before I start crying, read, please!

* * *

"But we _saved _the Tree!" Kiki shouted. Mew was unconscious for some strange reason, and the foliage in the Tree of Beginning wasn't doing so hot, either. Umbreon felt the pink Pokémon's head. 

"That's some fever," she said.

"Let me see." Rose walked over and put her hand where Umbreon's paw had been. "YOWCH!" she shrieked and pulled away, blowing on her hand.

"I told you," Umbreon muttered, "that's some fever."

"What's going on? I mean, the Pack is out of the Tree, so it should be fine," said John. "It's not gonna implode on us anymore, right?" Silence. "Right?" His voice was shaky now.

Lucario closed his eyes. The Aura of the Tree was still there, but..."Not good, people," he stated anxiously.

"What's not good?" Rose asked.

"Did you leave the cheese at home?" Kiki started panicking. "NO CHEESE?"

"This is no time for jokes, Kiki," Lucario scolded. Then he said quietly, "The Auras of both the Tree and Mew are dark red." Umbreon's jaw dropped.

"Well, what's wrong with dark red?" John inquired.

"It means," Umbreon whispered so low that she could barely be heard, "death. Mew and the Tree are going to die."

* * *

"Is there any way to save them?" Kiki stuttered. Lose Mew? If it weren't for Mew, they'd probably all be dead! They couldn't let _her _die! 

Lucario thought a moment. "There is one way," he said. "We must go to the Tree's center chamber and find what is ailing it. Then, _maybe,_ we can heal it, and Mew. Follow me."

"Wait, how do you know where it is?" questioned Rose, unconvinced. "It sure won't help Mew if we hit a dead end!"

"Just trust me," the fighting type replied. Rose glanced at John.

"Works for me," he said simply.

The group ran, Lucario in the lead, up countless, naturally made stairs, until they reached a large room. A large crystal, glowing with a brilliant light, was in the middle. Lucario dashed to it and placed his spiked paw on the sky blue surface. He channeled his Aura through its, then stated a few minutes later, "This is serious."

"Well, what's wrong?" the blonde teenager asked.

Lucario shook his head. "That's the problem. I don't know."

"How can we save her if we don't know why she's sick?!" Kiki nearly burst.

"We can't." The humans, plus Lucario, turned around to see Umbreon on the verge of tears, head down. Then she realized that she was being extremely out of character, so she lifted her head up again and said, "So that's why we've got to keep trying!" Suddenly, Mew, who was on the fox's back, glowed a radiant white and was lifted into the air and dragged gently by nothing to the crystal.

"There _is _a cure," came a beautiful voice from oblivion.

"What is it? Who are you?" Lucario shouted toward the voice's source.

"I," it answered, "am the true Mew." All faces showed confusion. "The cure," it continued, "is a special change in our Aura that only one of you can provide." All eyes turned to Lucario. "But," the voice warned, "beware, for altering our Aura comes with the price of the healer's life." All jaws dropped. "It is your choice," it finished. The glow faded, and Mew gently floated downward into Kiki's arms. She looked at Lucario desperately.

"She's very weak," she reported somberly.

"Lucario," Umbreon whispered. He glanced her way.

"Umbreon," he began, "I must."

"Lucario!" she cried. The fighting type walked toward the crystal, which too was now shining a dark red. He placed his pawss on the crystal, saluted his friends, then shouted, "Cambiamento Di Aura!"

All at once emotions hurtled into his body full force. He was hit with anger, love, happiness, sadness, joy, depression, love, all at the same time. But worst was the pain. Lucario writhed with pain, but still stood his ground. Jolts of the feelings could be seen as electrical sparks flying from his body. After what seemed like hours, the crystal's color was restored, and Lucario stumbled back and leaned against the wall.

"It...is done...," he strained. As soon as the words left his mouth, Mew lifted her head, fever gone. Throughout the Tree, plants grew again, the blacken grass took on its green color once more. So much life...

...and yet, so much sorrow.

Lucario, unable to hold himself up any longer, fell to the ground. "No!" Umbreon shouted. She ran to her doomed friend. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Umbreon," he stumbled, "you have...learned well." The fox wrapped her forelegs around him, and he did the same, both hoping that time would stop and their embrace would never end.

"Lucario..." Tears streamed from Umbreon's crimson eyes. "Lucario, I need to tell you something." Lucario lifted his head.

"I...love you..." she whispered. Lucario sat a moment and took it in.

"...I love you, too, Umbreon." And with that, he mustered up as much strength as he could and closed in until their faces were mere millimeters apart.

Their lips touched, and they held each other, locked in true love, condemned to never be together beyond that moment.

As the end drew near, the two finished their first, and last, kiss. There was not a dry eye in the room. Mew was trying to sniffle the tears away, the humans were weeping as silently as they could, the Pokémon inside their Pokéballs sobbed, even Weavile, who himself was bawling his golden eyes out.

"I guess this is it," Lucario said.

"Lucario..."

"Goodbye, Umbreon..." Lucario closed his eyes, and peacefully slept. His last thought was that he had finally said it, they had finally known, had finally kissed.

"I love you," he sighed with his last breath.

And the sun set.

* * *

Kiki, Rose, and John had tried their best to comfort Umbreon, but to no avail. Rose asked Mew if she wanted to come to her house with them, but Mew politely refused. "I must do something." The four left, Umbreon silent. Once they were out of sight, Mew blinked. When her eyes opened again, they were a brilliant white. She began to chant, but not in her voice, but the voice of the true Mew. 

**Servants of Time, Matter, and Space,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Bend the Laws of Physics: Rebirth! Rebirth!**

**Ruler of Electricity,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Let light bring life.**

* * *

The four walked home quietly, not a word among them. All three humans, though, knew that Umbreon was trying her best to hold back the tears. **

* * *

**

**Ruler of Time,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Turn back your wheels.**

**Servant of Joy,**

**Hear my cry;**

**It is lost; restore.**

* * *

The wind blew through Umbreon's ears. She was sure that she heard a soft murmuring in it, the voice of the one she had left behind. **

* * *

**

**Ruler of Sea,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Wash away the pall of gloom.**

**Ruler of Land,**

**Hear my cry;**

**With the strength of earth, bring hope.**

* * *

Kiki realized that the others were counting on her to lighten the mood. She spontaneously said, "When we get to Rose's, we need to propose a toast to Lucario." There was no reply. "With cheese," she finished quietly. Umbreon wanly smiled, but still said nothing. **

* * *

**

**Servants of Water, Ice, Thunder, Fire,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Channel your elements, bring new life.**

**Rulers of Day and Night,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Combine and create.**

* * *

Rose had never felt so horribly. Never before had she felt this...sad. A melancholy mist lay over their group, and Rose knew that there was no way not to submit to it. She wiped away another tear. **

* * *

**

**Ruler of Destiny**

**Hear my cry;**

**Change the path.**

**Ruler of Innocence,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Clear the fallen's name.**

* * *

God is gracious. That's what his name meant. Well, John himself wasn't very gracious now. This emptiness would never leave him. John listened, and he found himself thinking that he had heard angels crying. **

* * *

**

**Rulers of Wisdom, Will, and Emotion,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Return thy virtues.**

**Ruler of Sky,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Make still the winds that blow.**

* * *

Umbreon was broken. Once the toast was over, she had excused herself to the guest room. The others didn't even think of stopping her. They thought that she needed some time alone. What she really needed, though, was the exact opposite. **

* * *

**

**Ruler of Space,**

**Hear my cry;**

**May four become one salvation.**

**Ruler of Chaos,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Cease, my son.**

* * *

Kiki ate her cheese regretfully. Rose's mom always made the best cheese. But why, today, did it taste so bittersweet? **

* * *

**

**Ruler of Water,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Cleanse those who suffer.**

**Ruler of Fire,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Ignite the living flame.**

* * *

Something changed about Umbreon that day. Her happiness seemed to have been drained away. She went to live with Kiki, but she rarely spoke, and even more rarely popped a smile. A part of her, it seemed, had gone missing. **

* * *

**

**Servants of Earth**

**Hear my cry;**

**Rejuvenate through stone.**

**Ruler of Three,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Make their powers yours.**

* * *

Lying on the bed Rose had made her, Umbreon thought about her friend. She shook the thought out of her head. He wasn't her friend, she realized. He was more. **

* * *

**

**Servant of Change,**

**Hear my cry;**

**Adapt, change, adjust to this loss.**

* * *

Nothing could cheer Umbreon up. Stunky sniffed himself, then pretended to faint, trying to bring out a smile. Luxio and Growlithe performed the blues for her, and Weavile even made fun of his own pinkness, reluctantly. The only real help was Eevee, who would just talk with her, but that almost never produced a single sign of happiness. Umbreon had dropped so low into the pit that she couldn't get out. **

* * *

**

**One who has fallen,**

**Hear my cry;**

**The Ruler of Change commands you:**

**RETURN!**

* * *

"Umbreon, could you answer the door? I'm kind of busy!" Umbreon nodded solemnly. She had become all but a mute in the two days since Lucario had died. "Thanks," called Kiki, struggling to keep her poffins from burning. Another knock was heard at the door. The black fox dragged herself over and opened it. Then she gasped. For the first time since the incident at the Tree, she spoke with hope. 

"Lucario?"

The figure nodded.

"Lucario!" she cried as she embraced him, tears of joy in her eyes, and tears of joy in his.

The sun had risen.

* * *

(sobbing) That's...it, people... 

This fic went by so fast...

I'd like to thank all of my reviewers. Without you, this story...wouldn't be...a story! You guys helped me with all of your compliments. Thanks for stickin' with the fic!

And now that it's over...you guys tell me what you think of this...I'm going to start a _Moon and Sun _series! Be on the lookout for the next fic!

Until then:

See ya!

Your friends,

Lucario, Umbreon, Kiki, Mew, and Umbreon Mastah


End file.
